Katy Tur, Keith Olbermann Charged with Nepotism

Katy Tur, live-in girlfriend of Keith Olbermann, may be starting a new position as a news anchor at CW11. However, many are concerned about nepotism, since she is officially, according to New York Post listed as a freelance cable producer and did not attend any journalism school. Her qualifications seem a bit sketch, in light of this information, and charges against Keith Olbermann and his station for engaging in nepotism. No one seems to be available for comment at this time, which seems to be fanning the flames of allegations.

Despite all of these allegations, no one would deny that nepotism is alive and well in the world today. For a powerhouse position like the one Katy Tur may have been offered, the stakes are much higher, so people get more upset, but many Americans find jobs through networking. Usually, networking means that people find jobs for which they are qualified via discussions with others in that same industry, or by knowing someone, or by knowing someone who knows someone (and on and on and on). The person who gains a job through this networking is perfectly qualified, and this is considered a perfectly legitimate way of doing business.

However, sometimes networking takes a step into nepotism. Someone you know wants a job. They have been looking for a long time and just don't seem to be finding anything. Your company is hiring. That person you know (who may be a girlfriend, wife, brother, cousin, etc.) is not precisely qualified for this position, but you know them. You like them (sometimes). You tell them to apply and to add your name as a reference. On the basis of that reference alone, because their qualifications certainly do not match the job description, your person gets the job. This person is hired, even though someone else much more qualified may have applied, because a company wants their people to be happy. Plus, they trust you. You have worked there for a number of years, and they figure that anybody you recommend must be just great. Besides, resumes do not always tell the whole story. It is better for someone at your company to know the new hiree.

Or is it? At my previous company, it was actually written into the employee handbook that they preferred to hire relatives or friends over others. Sometimes this was great. In one instance, the person who initially worked for the company was not a good match at all. He made careless errors and was lazy. He tried hard, when he worked, but it was a position that required constant attention to detail and the ability to always be on your toes. This guy, nice as he was, just did not have it. This was not evident by the time they were looking for someone to fill a similar position in the same group. When he recommended his brother, there was no question that his brother would get the job. His brother was a perfect fit. Hard working and careful, he had the ability to see what needed to get done before problems arose. In this situation, nepotism was a great thing.

But in other instances, it was not. On my own part, my brother-in-law was looking for a job. I did not know him well, but knew he had been having some trouble figuring out his place in life. Young and unsure of himself, he just was not "finding himself." The hope was that this position in my company, which was a lower level position and perfect for someone just starting out, would help him figure out his place in the world. Long story short, it did not. He was not a good match for the company, and the company was not a good match for him. After a year of struggling, he finally sought employment elsewhere. I felt bad for having recommended him for the job on multiple levels: the company could have hired someone who was a better match and who would have worked out better, and my brother-in-law suffered because he was so unhappy in this position. Nobody blamed me for the fact that he did not work out, but I felt responsible nonetheless.

Nepotism can be a great thing, if the person is capable of doing the job. It may give someone who has the ability but not the background for a job an opportunity to develop that background. Breaking into the job market is tricky. Breaking into new industries can be almost impossible. However, for situations where the person is simply not a good match for the job and just needs a job, or in situations where the person just does not have enough background necessary to do the job but is given it anyway, nepotism is grossly unfair to people who could do the job better. They lose out on an opportunity to gain employment that matches their background and interest, just because they do not happen to know someone already at that company.